At a time when anonymous Facebook pages and unregulated Instagram and WhatsApp news handles claim the space once dominated by reporters and editors, the Kashmir News Service (KNS) convened its annual media workshop in Srinagar with a single, urgent theme—how to uphold credibility when rumours travel faster than facts.
Held at Hotel Radisson on M.A. Road, the day-long gathering brought together KNS correspondents from districts and Srinagar city, senior editors, and former staff who now work across regional and national platforms. Unlike routine newsroom briefings, the meeting unfolded more like a crisis huddle, reflective, candid and introspective.
What united the speakers was a growing unease over the spread of unverified content on social media. They warned that anonymous pages, operating without editorial scrutiny, have blurred the lines between reportage, rumour and propaganda. The result: audiences struggle to distinguish journalists from content creators, and newsrooms are forced into a reactive role, reporting on events while simultaneously correcting falsehoods in circulation.
The consensus was unambiguous—speed cannot override accuracy, nor can sensationalism replace accountability. Participants argued that only verified facts, editorial discipline, and institutional responsibility can protect journalism from the noise.
Editor KNS, Shabir Malik, opened the session with a reminder of the organisation’s three-decade journey through financial constraints, challanges and the digital churn. What kept the agency afloat, he said, was not scale or technology but credibility. In a media ecosystem where velocity is often mistaken for value, this was both a reassurance and a warning.
Maqsood Uri, former Director of Shaherbeen, followed with context. KNS, he said, did not just fill news columns, it produced journalists who today staff major outlets across Jammu and Kashmir and beyond. He urged that workshops of this kind be held at the district level so that young reporters outside Srinagar don’t fall through the cracks of editorial neglect.
Several speakers reflected on their own beginnings. Among them was Shafat Malik, who started as a sub-editor at KNS and credits the newsroom’s discipline and exposure for shaping his career. Others now working in regional and national media echoed this describing KNS as a training ground that taught them to separate story from speculation.
Sajad Lone, the online editor, flagged a quieter but equally dangerous trend, traditional media retreating under the noise of digital anonymity. The answer, he said, is not withdrawal but sharper fact-checking, editorial vigilance and professional intent.
The floor then opened to voices from the field: Tasaduq Rashid, South Kashmir Bureau Head, who moderated the proceedings; Syed Ajaz, Editor KNS Urdu; Rahim Rizwan, Executive Editor; Correspondent Aqib Khan; and senior reporters Syed Fayaz, Bilal Rehmani and Mohd Lateef Bhat. They shared experiences from their beats, pointed to coordination gaps, and credited KNS with grounding them in professional ethics.
Requests ranged from logistical support for remote reporting to training modules and stronger communication channels between bureaus and the editorial desk. The Editor-in-Chief assured these would be addressed.
Closing the workshop, Editor-in-Chief Mohammad Aslam Bhat brought the discussion back to fundamentals. A correspondent’s credibility, he said, rests on the facts he or she gathers not the quotes they chase. KNS has never published a story without verification, he reminded the room. Reporters, he said, must first confirm incidents on the ground and only then seek official statements.His emphasis was clear: accuracy before access, facts before form.
In an age where anonymity masquerades as media, the workshop was less an annual formality and more an assertion that journalism rooted in verification is not outdated, only outnumbered.
